[TCDP-flight-news] FLIGHT+ Dataset extension for 2019 storms is now complete

[Jonathan Vigh]

Dear registered FLIGHT+ User,



I am pleased to report that the work to extend the FLIGHT+ Dataset (v1.3)
to include the 2019 season has now been completed. This update adds 11
storms, 119 flights, and 515 good radial legs to the dataset.



This update includes Level 3 data for the following storms:

   -

   Barry
   -

   TD03
   -

   Dorian
   -

   Fernand
   -

   Humberto
   -

   Jerry
   -

   Karen



Due to some computer access challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic,
HRD has not generated .trak files for several storms yet. Level 3 data are
not yet available for:

   -

   Andrea
   -

   Lorenzo
   -

   Nestor
   -

   Olga
   -

   Lorena
   -

   pre-Ivo genesis.



A few flights from Dorian and Karen include an occasional artifact which
may affect the analysis of the storm intensity, radius of maximum winds, or
wind radii. For example, one of the earlier Dorian flights has a 99.3 m/s
surface maximum wind speed, while the flight level wind speed maximum was
just 54 m/s. At the moment, these problem flights are included in the
official v1.3 data products with the specific issues noted in the data
provenance notes available at:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11Z_XnN0bYxIUhEUajHjMQxIX4dPoJnlvj2KDEnBYFak/edit?usp=sharing.
These two storms will be reprocessed in the next day or so to remove the
flights with these artifacts (in keeping with how the rest of the v1.3
dataset has been processed).



For more information and to download the updated dataset, please visit:

https://verif.rap.ucar.edu/tcdata/flight/



As a reminder, please remember to always provide a data citation for
FLIGHT+ anytime you use it in a scholar work:



Vigh, J. L., N. M. Dorst, C. L. Williams, D. P. Stern, E. W. Uhlhorn, B. W.
Klotz, J. Martinez, H. E. Willoughby, F. D. Marks, Jr., D. R. Chavas, 2020:
FLIGHT+: The Extended Flight Level Dataset for Tropical Cyclones (Version
v1.3). Tropical Cyclone Data Project, National Center for Atmospheric
Research, Research Applications Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado.

    [Available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.5065/D6WS8R93.] Accessed* dd
mmm yyyy.



Funding acknowledgement:

The v1.3 dataset extensions (2014-2019) have been funded by the NOAA
Hurricane Forecast Improvement Project (HFIP) through Round 3 of Research
to Operations Initiative: NGGPS and HFIP (NOAA-NWS-NWSPO-2018-2005325)
under award number NA18NWS4680058.



Future plans:

Over the next few months, we plan to add azimuthal mean profiles as a Level
4 product of the v1.3 dataset.



Funding has not yet been identified to extend the dataset for the 2020
season. Approximately $10-15 k would be needed for this update.



Additional improvements are planned for a v2.0 dataset, again pending
funding. If this funding materializes, this update would likely occur later
in 2022.



Best regards,

Jonathan





Jonathan Vigh						
Project Scientist I, Joint Numerical Testbed	
Research Applications Laboratory (RAL)
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
P.O. Box 3000                    tel: +1 (303) 497-8205
Boulder, CO 80307-3000   fax: +1 (303) 497-8171Jonathan's Staff Web
Page <http://www.ral.ucar.edu/staff/jvigh/> (CV, publications,
etc.)Tropical Cyclone Guidance Project
<http://hurricanes.ral.ucar.edu/> (real-time hurricane data)

Tropical Cyclone Data Project <https://verif.rap.ucar.edu/tcdata/>
(FLIGHT+, VDM+, TC-OBS datasets)

Hurricane Risk Calculator <https://wxrisk.ucar.edu> (personalizing
hurricane risk assessments for evacuation decision support)

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working day. Please do not feel obliged to reply to this email outside
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